'/Super-Hen' is one of the nicest guys I have met in motor racing. I had heard he was difficult and tempramental, but I found him a man without side and refreshingly uncomplicated. He had no advantages in life, he grew up in a council house with a widowed mother, but he made it to Formula One. Robin Herd has always reckoned that the two best test drivers he worked with were, joint equal, Niki Lauda and Brian Henton.

He got the reputation for being brash when the line was suggested to him by a PR man. Muhammed Ali was doing his 'I'm The Greatest' thing and Henton was encouraged to do the same. The difference was that Ali was the World Heavyweight Champion and Henton was British Formula Vee Champion. Ali could get away with it, Henton got up people's noses.

Brian was set to buy Ligier circa 1983, then he realised that he needed to concentrate on business affairs, his chaim of about 50 estate agents required his urgent attention. That is why he retired from motor racing.

Brian should have won the 1979 European Formula Two championship, he was leading the final round at Donington with just a few miles to go when he spun out. He did not make any excuses at the time but, some years later, he told me the reason. The chief mechanic of the Toleman team, for whom Brian drove, had been killed in a road accident and he was a very popular guy. His funeral took place on the Wednesday before the Donington race. The team was in shock and did not do all the usual pre-race calculations, in particular they did not calculate the rate of wear of brake pads. Brian spun out because he had no brake pads, but he only told the story after he had left motor racing.

I have been asked by another TNFer if I can provide a photograph of Vern Schuppan in the BRM which he drove at the 1972 Oulton Park Gold Cup. Sadly, it was not an event which I attended and would appreciate if anyone here might be able to fill the request.

I have been asked by another TNFer if I can provide a photograph of Vern Schuppan in the BRM which he drove at the 1972 Oulton Park Gold Cup. Sadly, it was not an event which I attended and would appreciate if anyone here might be able to fill the request.

And I have also asked for various pictures of the said event in the past and received nothing. Odd. Very odd.

And I have also asked for various pictures of the said event in the past and received nothing. Odd. Very odd.Did you get my PM?

Yes, Mark. Have now responded

I may have one , was he driving a P153 ? It shows him standing hands in pockets o/s car , sadly his legs are blocking the cars race number.

Thanks Mick. I have him down as driving P153-06, and the only photo I have been able to track down so far appears to show the car with a P153 nose but as Tony was there he may have better information. The photo may be of interest - do you hold the copyright?

I have him down as driving P153-06, and the only photo I have been able to track down so far appears to show the car with a P153 nose but as Tony was there he may have better information. The photo may be of interest - do you hold the copyright?

You may well be right Alan, as ORC has him finishing in fifth place, whilst the programme has Vern in a P160.

Interestingly, Gethin was in a P160 & Wisell a P180 that day (both failed to finish) so BRM ran three different types at Oulton.

Interestingly, Gethin was in a P160 & Wisell a P180 that day (both failed to finish) so BRM ran three different types at Oulton.

Wisell's P180 was hit from behind by Peterson's March 721X at the start which then rode up in the air having connected with one of the BRM's rear wheels. The resulting spin for Reine broke his thumb or one of his fingers and he retired there and then. Peterson's race was also run. Surprisingly nobody else got involved in the melee. This prompted my question over pictures some time back. Whilst I saw the incident I have never seen a photograph of it anywhere and have always stuggled to find pictures of the race.

Thanks Mick. I have him down as driving P153-06, and the only photo I have been able to track down so far appears to show the car with a P153 nose but as Tony was there he may have better information. The photo may be of interest - do you hold the copyright?

Marked Johns Club Int 0425-77-7347 from memory he might be in Japan . I probably bought a copy via ebay, a while ago.

photo is vertical shot and only shows the rear of the car which is a P153 in 1972 livery . Part of a Land Rover breakdown truck in background marked Northwhich which is Cheshire?

Yep, 1976 should be right. That was the year Gurney's team gave up on its Eagle in F5000 and ran the Lola T332 seen above for Schuppan in the second half of the year. AAR had a new F5000 design for '77, but we know what happened to the series in America that year ...

Anyone throw any light on the Henton sabotage issue at the '77 British GP? All very odd, not to say dangerous, if the contemporary reports were to be belived. Why would anyone deliberately break his gearbox, or was there more to it than that...? After 35 years, surely someone can tell us more!

Anyone throw any light on the Henton sabotage issue at the '77 British GP? All very odd, not to say dangerous, if the contemporary reports were to be belived. Why would anyone deliberately break his gearbox, or was there more to it than that...? After 35 years, surely someone can tell us more!

There seem to be a lot of 'stories' from this era suggesting under-hand goings-on in F1 : peculiarly rock-hard tyres for privateers at the 78 British GP, no pit garage available for the Lec team in 1977 and so forth. Intrigue in F1? Some things never change

There seem to be a lot of 'stories' from this era suggesting under-hand goings-on in F1 : peculiarly rock-hard tyres for privateers at the 78 British GP, no pit garage available for the Lec team in 1977 and so forth. Intrigue in F1? Some things never change

Yes, a perfect example being Desiree Wilson's futile attempts to qualify a Williams at the 1980 British GP, here is what she had to say on the subject:

The 1980 British GP was the most disappointing weekend of my life. I could not believe it at the time, and to this day still cringe when I think of the events that took place. Two weeks prior to the British GP, during the tire test days, I had an absolutely wonderful race car. I was 9th fastest of the 21 cars at the test day (the first time I had ever driven a "skirted" ground effects car). I was so confident in qualifying for that race. I did not know that the car was owned by Emilio de Villota at the time, and also unaware that Emilio did not know I was driving his "borrowed" car.

So for the British GP, one of Eliseo Salazar's recently crashed Aurora FW07s was put together, and delivered to the British GP for me to qualify. The car was evil! The qualifying tires/wheels did not fit the uprights, so I had no qualifying rubber, the issues go on and on. I will never forget that awful weekend and will never forget the con job. A lot of very good people were hurt in many ways on that weekend.

Yes, a perfect example being Desiree Wilson's futile attempts to qualify a Williams at the 1980 British GP, here is what she had to say on the subject:

The 1980 British GP was the most disappointing weekend of my life. I could not believe it at the time, and to this day still cringe when I think of the events that took place. Two weeks prior to the British GP, during the tire test days, I had an absolutely wonderful race car. I was 9th fastest of the 21 cars at the test day (the first time I had ever driven a "skirted" ground effects car). I was so confident in qualifying for that race. I did not know that the car was owned by Emilio de Villota at the time, and also unaware that Emilio did not know I was driving his "borrowed" car.

So for the British GP, one of Eliseo Salazar's recently crashed Aurora FW07s was put together, and delivered to the British GP for me to qualify. The car was evil! The qualifying tires/wheels did not fit the uprights, so I had no qualifying rubber, the issues go on and on. I will never forget that awful weekend and will never forget the con job. A lot of very good people were hurt in many ways on that weekend.

Glad to have found out what happened here, though very sad to hear the whole story

I found it very odd that Desiré failed to qualify though IIRC the original twin window's took over her car for the race.